Best Email Infrastructure Providers in 2025
Cold email success in 2025 hinges on picking the right email infrastructure provider. With spam filters getting smarter and 45.6% of emails landing in spam folders (2023), the stakes are higher than ever. Here’s a quick breakdown of the top providers:
- Primeforge: Best for cold outreach with Google Workspace/MS365 integration, automated DNS setup, and US-based IPs.
- Amazon SES: Budget-friendly for high-volume senders but requires technical expertise.
- Postmark: Ideal for transactional emails with a 99% delivery success rate but lacks marketing features.
- SendGrid: Versatile for both marketing and transactional emails but faces inconsistent deliverability.
Quick Comparison Table
| Provider | Best For | Deliverability | Scalability | Pricing (Starting) | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primeforge | Cold email outreach | High | Moderate | $4.50/mailbox/mo | Automated DNS, US-based IPs |
| Amazon SES | High-volume sending | Moderate | High | $0.10/1,000 emails | Pay-as-you-go, technical setup |
| Postmark | Transactional emails | Very High | Moderate | $15/10,000 emails | Fast delivery, strong support |
| SendGrid | Marketing & transactional | Moderate | High | $19.95/mo | 320+ integrations, API support |
Choose based on your needs: Primeforge for cold outreach, Amazon SES for cost-efficiency, Postmark for reliability, or SendGrid for versatility.
1. Primeforge
Primeforge is a dedicated email infrastructure provider built specifically for cold outreach. Unlike Gmail or Outlook, which cater to general email needs, Primeforge focuses entirely on improving deliverability for cold email campaigns.
It operates using Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 mailboxes with US-based IP addresses. This setup ensures users benefit from the same trusted email service providers (ESPs) that their prospects already use, significantly increasing the likelihood of emails landing in inboxes rather than spam folders.
Deliverability
Primeforge excels in deliverability thanks to its automated DNS setup. This feature takes care of essential authentication records like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, eliminating the technical challenges that often hinder businesses setting up cold email systems.
Additionally, Primeforge includes thoughtful features such as mailbox profile pictures, which add a human touch to emails. Combined with US-based IP addresses, these elements build trust with inbox providers, further improving email placement rates.
"I've been using a couple of other email infra forges for over a year and have been pretty impressed with deliverability. Now I added Google mailboxes and been using them for months as one of the early adopters to spread the load of 10K+ emails/day over to more ESPs. Stellar deliverability on Salesforge and spam tests always come back green! Excited to spin up some Outlook accounts soon also."
- Rahul Lakhaney, Former VP, Gartner, now CEO @ Enrich.so and Maximise
Here’s how Primeforge compares to other providers when it comes to setup:
| Feature | Primeforge | Google Workspace | MS365 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automated DNS Setup | Yes | No | No |
| Optimized for Cold Email | Yes | No | No |
| Setup Time | 30 minutes | 24+ hours | 24+ hours |
Scalability
Scaling cold email infrastructure isn’t just about adding more mailboxes - it’s about managing them effectively. Primeforge addresses this with multiple workspaces, allowing teams to organize domains and inboxes by client, campaign, or team. This structure makes managing large-scale operations much easier.
For those handling dozens or even hundreds of domains, Primeforge’s bulk DNS management feature is a game-changer. Instead of updating authentication records one by one, users can manage settings across multiple domains at once, saving hours of administrative work.
For high-volume senders, Primeforge integrates seamlessly with other providers. Pairing it with Mailforge or Infraforge helps diversify across multiple ESPs, reducing the risk of burnout that comes from relying on a single provider.
Integration
Primeforge is designed to work with any cold email platform, including popular tools like Salesforge, Outreach, and Salesloft. This flexibility allows users to choose the tools that best fit their outreach strategy without being locked into specific software.
Beyond email platforms, Primeforge also integrates with CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot. Enriched data can be pushed directly into these systems, eliminating the need for manual data entry and streamlining the entire outreach process - from the first email to closing the deal. These integrations complement Primeforge’s focus on deliverability and scalability, making it a comprehensive solution for cold email campaigns.
Pricing
Primeforge offers competitive pricing at $4.50 per mailbox per month, which is at least 46% less expensive than direct subscriptions to Google Workspace ($8.40/month) or Microsoft 365 ($6.00/month). For a team of 20 mailbox users, this means paying $90 monthly with Primeforge, compared to $120–$168 directly.
This pricing structure is ideal for businesses that require dedicated mailboxes for outreach but don’t need the full productivity suite that typically comes with standard business email plans.
2. Amazon SES
Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) is a cloud-based platform designed for handling large-scale email needs, including transactional and bulk emails. With over a trillion emails processed annually, Amazon SES leverages Amazon's infrastructure to deliver reliable email services.
Deliverability
Amazon SES maintains strict standards for sender reputation, requiring bounce rates to stay below 5% and complaint rates under 0.1%. Exceeding these thresholds can trigger an account review, which might disrupt your email campaigns.
To help users optimize their email performance, the platform offers the Virtual Deliverability Manager (VDM). VDM provides detailed delivery insights and automatically applies best practices to improve inbox placement rates. However, recent data from Q1 2025 shows a decline in performance, with an average inbox placement rate of 40.30%, down 14.60% compared to Q1 2024.
Amazon SES supports key email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These are essential, especially since major providers like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft will require DMARC for bulk senders starting in May 2025. Additionally, Amazon SES offers a range of IP address options, including shared, dedicated, and managed dedicated IPs. For cold email campaigns, dedicated IPs need to be warmed up carefully to avoid spam filters. These measures ensure consistent email performance even as your campaigns scale.
Scalability
Amazon SES is built to grow with your needs, starting with a limit of 200 messages per day at a rate of one message per second for new accounts. These limits increase over time as you establish a track record of responsible sending. For enterprise-scale operations, SES supports millions of emails daily, leveraging persistent HTTP connections and multi-threading to enhance throughput. This scalability makes it a strong choice for businesses with expanding email requirements.
Integration
Amazon SES integrates seamlessly with the AWS ecosystem but requires custom development for connections to CRM and marketing tools. The platform supports both SMTP and API integrations, offering flexibility for developers to create tailored solutions. However, it lacks direct integrations with popular tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, or specialized cold email platforms. This means additional technical effort may be needed to connect SES to your existing systems. Furthermore, SES does not include built-in email design tools or drag-and-drop editors, so users must rely on third-party solutions or custom HTML for email creation.
Pricing
Amazon SES uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model, making it an affordable option for businesses. Rates start as low as $0.10 per 1,000 emails. For AWS users, the first 62,000 emails sent each month through Amazon EC2 or AWS Elastic Beanstalk are free, adding to its cost-effectiveness. For example, a company sending 100,000 emails per month would pay around $69.70 with SES. Managed Dedicated IPs are available starting at $15.00 per month, with volume-based pricing as follows:
- $0.08 per 1,000 emails (0–10M monthly)
- $0.04 per 1,000 emails (10M–50M monthly)
- $0.02 per 1,000 emails (50M–100M monthly)
This flexible pricing structure makes Amazon SES a practical choice for businesses with fluctuating email volumes. However, teams using SES for cold outreach should weigh its technical demands and integration challenges before committing.
3. Postmark
Postmark is an email service built with a sharp focus on transactional emails. It prioritizes deliverability, ensuring that critical communications reach recipients quickly and reliably.
Deliverability
Postmark takes deliverability seriously. It carefully vets new senders and separates promotional emails from transactional ones, resulting in an impressive 99% delivery success rate for both types of emails. The platform also adjusts IP allocation based on your sending volume to maintain performance. Speed is another standout feature. Users have praised its lightning-fast delivery times. For instance:
"Just tried out @postmarkapp and boy is it blazing fast. Transactional emails that previously took 5-10s to reach my inbox with Mailgun are now hitting my inbox in less than 1s. 11/10 would recommend." – Steven Tey
Its clean and intuitive interface provides detailed insights, making it easy to identify and resolve any delivery issues that may arise.
Scalability
Postmark is designed for transactional emails and moderate-volume operations. While it excels in these areas, businesses running large-scale promotional campaigns may find bulk email solutions like Amazon SES or SendGrid better suited for their needs.
Integration
Postmark offers a robust API that supports multiple programming languages, including Node.js, PHP, Python, and Java. It integrates seamlessly with a variety of tools and platforms, such as:
- CRM and marketing tools: ActiveCampaign
- E-commerce platforms: Stripe (via app integration)
- CMS plugins: WordPress and Craft CMS
- Email design tools: Stripo and Emailify
For inbound processing, Postmark can convert emails into JSON, enabling automated workflows. However, it’s important to note that Postmark focuses solely on email delivery and does not provide SMS marketing services.
Pricing
Postmark uses a simple, volume-based pricing structure:
- Developer Plan: Free for up to 100 emails per month
- Basic: $15/month for 10,000 emails
- Pro: $60.50/month for 50,000 emails
- Platform: $138/month for 125,000 emails
If you exceed your plan’s limit, overage charges apply. Additional services include dedicated IPs starting at $50/month, custom activity retention for $5/month, and DMARC monitoring at $14/month per domain.
Compared to Amazon SES, which charges $0.10 per 1,000 emails on a pay-as-you-go model, Postmark’s pricing is higher. However, many users feel the additional cost is worth it for the improved deliverability and reliable support. As one loyal customer shared:
"Been a postmark customer for a veeeerry long time. Stability and deliverability is so good I sometimes go months without thinking about it… just works(tm)." – Ben Webster
Postmark’s pricing reflects its focus on being a premium service for email deliverability rather than a budget-friendly bulk email solution. Next, we’ll explore how SendGrid stacks up for businesses needing scalable email infrastructure.
4. SendGrid
SendGrid is a leading email platform designed for both marketing and transactional emails, managing billions of emails every month. With competitive pricing and over 320 integration options, SendGrid is a popular choice for businesses aiming to expand their email operations.
Deliverability
Recent tests show that SendGrid has an average delivery rate of 82.0%, with inbox placement at 61.0%.
| Service Provider | Inbox Placement Test Results |
|---|---|
| SendGrid | Inbox: 61.0% Spam: 17.1% Missing: 20.9% |
| Postmark | Inbox: 83.3% Spam: 14.3% Missing: 0.9% |
| Amazon SES | Inbox: 77.1% Spam: 20.0% Missing: 1.0% |
While SendGrid’s shared IP pools can sometimes lead to issues with delivery speed and reliability, these challenges can often be mitigated by upgrading to a plan with dedicated IPs. Although this upgrade comes at a higher cost, it significantly improves performance. Despite occasional inconsistencies, SendGrid remains a strong performer for its price range, offering businesses an affordable way to scale their email operations.
Scalability
SendGrid is built to handle high-volume email campaigns, processing billions of emails monthly without compromising performance. Whether you’re sending a handful of transactional emails or running massive marketing campaigns, SendGrid’s infrastructure is designed to grow alongside your business.
The platform’s volume-based pricing tiers make it accessible to businesses of all sizes. Startups sending a few thousand emails and enterprises managing millions of monthly sends can both find plans that match their needs. This flexibility is particularly appealing for companies anticipating rapid growth in email volume.
Integration
With over 320 integrations, SendGrid seamlessly connects with a wide range of tools and platforms. Popular options include Zapier, Airtable, Twilio, and Google Cloud Platform. Its SMTP API and web API allow for custom integrations using API keys, enabling businesses to connect SendGrid to their existing systems effortlessly.
"What I like most about SendGrid is that most of the tools out there offer easy integration with SendGrid. Some apps can directly integrate with SendGrid without using automation software like Zapier." – Rahul R., CTO
These integrations support various CRM tools, automation software, and APIs, making it easier to transfer data, set up automated workflows, and streamline email processes. Developers will also appreciate SendGrid's Email API, which features detailed documentation and flexible options for creating tailored customer experiences.
Pricing
SendGrid provides two primary pricing options: Email API plans for transactional emails and Marketing Campaigns plans for promotional emails. Both include free trials to help businesses get started.
Email API Plans:
- Free Trial: $0/month for 60 days, 100 emails/day
- Essentials: Starts at $19.95/month for 50,000-100,000 emails/month
- Pro: Starts at $89.95/month for 100,000-2,500,000 emails/month
- Premier: Custom pricing for businesses with high-volume email needs
Marketing Campaigns Plans:
- Free Trial: $0/month for 60 days, up to 100 contacts and 100 emails/day
- Basic: Starts at $15/month, supporting up to 100,000 contacts and 300,000 emails/month
- Advanced: Starts at $60/month, supporting up to 200,000 contacts and 1,000,000 emails/month
SendGrid also offers volume discounts, so businesses sending higher email volumes pay less per email. Additionally, annual subscriptions can save users 10-20% compared to monthly billing. For businesses that exceed their monthly limits, overage charges apply - for example, the Essentials plan charges $0.00088 per extra email.
SendGrid has earned solid user reviews, scoring 4.0/5 on G2 and 4.2/5 on Capterra. Its flexible pricing and scalability make it a strong choice for businesses looking to balance budget and performance as they grow.
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Advantages and Disadvantages
After analyzing the performance of each provider, it’s time to weigh the trade-offs and figure out which one aligns best with your business needs. Let’s break down the pros and cons based on deliverability, scalability, integration, and pricing.
Primeforge is tailored specifically for cold email outreach. With features like automated DNS setup, US-based IP addresses, and compatibility with any sending software, it’s a go-to for businesses focused on prospecting. However, its niche focus means it lacks broader features like marketing automation or transactional email capabilities, which might limit its appeal for some companies.
Amazon SES is a budget-friendly option for businesses that send high volumes of emails. Known for its reliability and a well-documented API, it’s a favorite for those with technical expertise. But its low cost comes with a trade-off: a steep learning curve, complex setup, and limited support.
Postmark shines in deliverability and customer support, boasting an inbox placement rate of 83.3% and an 86% customer happiness rating. Additionally, it retains email content for 45 days across all plans. On the downside, it’s pricier than other options and lacks marketing features, making it more suitable for businesses that prioritize transactional emails.
SendGrid offers a versatile platform capable of handling both transactional and marketing emails. While it’s enterprise-ready with robust API capabilities, it has its flaws. Deliverability can be hit-or-miss, and customer support quality is inconsistent. As one user, Russell J. from the Transportation/Trucking/Railroad sector, bluntly stated:
"SendGrid is the worst vendor in our tech stack, stay away."
Here’s a quick comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of each provider:
| Provider | Key Strengths | Main Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Primeforge | Designed for cold email outreach; automated DNS setup; US-based IPs | Limited scope - focused only on cold email |
| Amazon SES | Budget-friendly; scalable; reliable | Complex setup; minimal support; requires technical skills |
| Postmark | Excellent deliverability (83.3% inbox placement); strong support; 45-day email retention | Higher price; no marketing features |
| SendGrid | All-in-one platform for transactional and marketing emails | Inconsistent deliverability; variable support quality |
Your choice will depend on what matters most to your business. If deliverability is your top priority and you’re willing to invest more, Postmark is a solid pick. For businesses already using AWS and comfortable with technical configurations, Amazon SES offers exceptional value. If cold email outreach is your focus, Primeforge is worth considering. Meanwhile, those looking for a broader platform may lean toward SendGrid, despite its challenges.
Final Recommendations
Choosing the right email provider comes down to your specific goals, technical expertise, and budget. Based on the comparisons above, here’s a breakdown to help match your needs to the best option.
For Cold Email Outreach: If cold email outreach is your focus, Primeforge is a standout choice. With pricing between $3.50 and $4.50 per mailbox per month, it offers automated DNS setup, US-based IP addresses, and compatibility with a wide range of software. This eliminates manual setup headaches and ensures high deliverability rates.
For High-Volume Enterprise Sending: For businesses sending large volumes of email and looking to save on costs, Amazon SES is a practical option. At just $0.10 per 1,000 emails, it’s far more affordable than competitors like SendGrid (starting at $19.95 per month for 50,000 emails) or Postmark (starting at $15 per month for 10,000 emails).
For Transactional Email Needs: If every transactional email - like order confirmations or password resets - needs to reliably hit the inbox, Postmark is a strong contender. With an inbox placement rate of 83.3% and excellent support, it’s built for businesses that depend on flawless transactional email performance.
For Combined Marketing and Transactional Emails: Businesses needing tools for both transactional and marketing emails should consider SendGrid. While its deliverability can vary, it offers features like marketing automation, segmentation, and campaign management, making it a versatile choice for mixed needs.
Budget-Friendly Options: Startups on tight budgets might explore Mailscale at $63 per month for 15 accounts or Mailforge, which costs $3 per account with a minimum of 10 accounts.
Ultimately, the best provider depends on your use case. Cold email campaigns are well-served by Primeforge, while high-volume senders with technical expertise can maximize savings with Amazon SES. For businesses where transactional emails are mission-critical, Postmark is worth the investment. And if you need a solution that balances marketing and transactional capabilities, SendGrid could be the right fit despite some trade-offs.
FAQs
What should I look for in an email infrastructure provider for my business in 2025?
When choosing an email infrastructure provider in 2025, it's important to focus on factors that match your business requirements. Start with scalability - you need a provider that can handle your current email traffic and grow with your business as it expands.
Equally important are security features, such as encryption and authentication protocols. These are critical for safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring compliance with industry regulations.
If your strategy includes cold email outreach, look for providers with strong deliverability rates. A dependable infrastructure can make the difference between your emails reaching inboxes or getting lost in spam folders. Lastly, check how easily the provider integrates with your existing tools and systems. Smooth integration can streamline your operations and save valuable time for your team.
How does Primeforge achieve high deliverability for cold email campaigns?
Primeforge takes the hassle out of managing cold email campaigns by using Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 mailboxes, both tailored for effective outreach. It handles essential tasks like setup, multi-IP provisioning, and custom domain configurations automatically. These features work together to improve your sender reputation and reduce the chances of your emails ending up in spam.
To make sure your emails land where they should, Primeforge follows proven strategies like keeping your contact list clean and setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols. These steps not only help your emails reach the right inboxes but also ensure they meet established email standards.
What are the key differences between Amazon SES and Postmark for email services?
Amazon SES vs. Postmark: Which Fits Your Email Needs?
When it comes to handling transactional emails, Amazon SES and Postmark serve distinct purposes, each catering to specific business requirements.
Amazon SES is all about handling large email volumes at a low cost. Its pricing structure makes it an attractive option for businesses looking to send bulk emails without breaking the bank. Plus, it offers flexible IP management and robust email authentication features to help improve deliverability. That said, getting started with Amazon SES can feel a bit daunting, especially if you're not familiar with AWS tools and configurations.
Postmark, on the other hand, is designed with speed and reliability in mind. It ensures transactional emails are delivered promptly and consistently, which is critical for time-sensitive communications. The platform features an intuitive interface and provides detailed analytics, making it easy to use even for those without technical expertise. While its pricing may be higher compared to Amazon SES, Postmark is a solid choice for businesses that prioritize simplicity and dependable performance.
To sum it up: If you're managing large-scale email campaigns on a tight budget, Amazon SES is a practical choice. But if ease of use and reliable delivery are your top priorities, Postmark is worth the investment.